Cole ended the family game night early with a temper tantrum (he refused to acknowledge Rhys' win) the other night so Rhys had 1 on 1 time with Chris and I. We had a good time just responding to what he wanted to do and playing along with his games. Chris got the guitar down and I grabbed the camera to get a rare uninterrupted recording of his voice at (almost) 3.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Betime...a little thing
I really have to get better at documenting what we have going on. I have done so well with Facebook postings but I really am lacking in my blogging. I just looked over it and really loved checking out all of the old pictures and moments forever documented. I want to do better and I am going to try.
Right now: I am feeling not-so-great physically but am getting sweet kisses from my 4 year old as I type.
Right now: Rhys is telling Chris that he brushed his teeth front and back. He is rinsing and spitting.
Right now: It is bedtime complete with kisses, snuggles, competitions for affection, and loads of loving.
Right now: Rhys is snuggling Cole in his bunk bed and Cole is showing Rhys is secret weapon to be brave when there is a storm. I gave him a book light the last time we had thunder and told him that it was Daddy's secret light that keeps us all safe during storms and he is now responsible for it. He keeps it under his pillow.
Right now: Rhys is begging Chris for his nosey bear (a little blue bear with a loose thread on the nose that Rhys rubs across his own nose to go to sleep) and his pillowpet (a black and white cow that folds from being a stuffed animal into a flat pillow). It is well worn and was purchased partly with Cole's Christmas money in 2009.
Right now: Cole is telling Rhys that he has snuggled in his bed long enough and it is time for him to go to his own bed.
Niceties are falling by the wayside and Rhys is losing his temper. Too much love, too much of everything. Time for bed..
Good night boys. Sleep tight.
Right now: I am feeling not-so-great physically but am getting sweet kisses from my 4 year old as I type.
Right now: Rhys is telling Chris that he brushed his teeth front and back. He is rinsing and spitting.
Right now: It is bedtime complete with kisses, snuggles, competitions for affection, and loads of loving.
Right now: Rhys is snuggling Cole in his bunk bed and Cole is showing Rhys is secret weapon to be brave when there is a storm. I gave him a book light the last time we had thunder and told him that it was Daddy's secret light that keeps us all safe during storms and he is now responsible for it. He keeps it under his pillow.
Right now: Rhys is begging Chris for his nosey bear (a little blue bear with a loose thread on the nose that Rhys rubs across his own nose to go to sleep) and his pillowpet (a black and white cow that folds from being a stuffed animal into a flat pillow). It is well worn and was purchased partly with Cole's Christmas money in 2009.
Right now: Cole is telling Rhys that he has snuggled in his bed long enough and it is time for him to go to his own bed.
Niceties are falling by the wayside and Rhys is losing his temper. Too much love, too much of everything. Time for bed..
Good night boys. Sleep tight.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Antibiotic Side Effects and Physical Therapy
I started antibiotics to treat the Lyme Disease and have been experiencing some normal side effects and other not-so-normal side effects.
Nausea - was warned about this and still get it although I take it with food. Terrible heartburn feeling that subsides after about an hour.
Nausea - was warned about this and still get it although I take it with food. Terrible heartburn feeling that subsides after about an hour.
- Chills - ugh! I have never! I take one in the morning and get chills by mid-morning. I also take one before bed (not too close to bed since I have to take it with food AND the bottle instructs me not to lie down within 30 minutes of taking it). I sleep in fleece pajamas and wear two sets of socks and freeze - to the point that it actually wakes me up.
- Weight loss. Yea! Probably a result of #1 but I am not complaining.
I had my first physical therapy session today. It was just a lot of being prodded and interviewed but I did manage to get a massage from it along with some time wrapped like a pig in a blanket. They wrapped my body completely around my hips with a thick stack of hot towels that were slightly moist...bliss. They are treating my Bursitis in my hips along with my lumbar which is contributing to the Bursitis. They will also treat my Fibromyalgia.
He knows that I need a lot of work and is looking forward to helping me. I am to start going 3 times/week. They have pretty flexible hours but the pool time is all in the middle of the day. To start, I have 2 days in the office and 1 day in the pool. I am trying to make this the priority but know it will be challenging to fit everything in. Truly, making myself well is the priority. Unfortunately, meeting the basic needs of my children (i.e. not leaving them unattended) is really the priority. Chris has work and I have some pretty crazy scheduling happening but I know I can make it happen but realize that I will have to reschedule some of these appointments.
It will all be fine. I have wonderful friends who have offered to help and I hope that I have enough folks to lean on that I don't have to keep going back to the same well. My insurance only covers 30 visits/year so I will surely be taking advantage of all of them.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
A Diagnosis and a shred of HOPE
As a general update on my testing, condition, prognosis, etc. I had my follow-up appointment with my Rhumetologist this morning and it turns out that I have Lyme Disease. There is no telling how long I have had it but we are going to treat it with the 30 days of antibiotics and hope that is all it ever was. I am skeptical so I am ordering my medical records from Hopkins. I had this same battery of elimination tests for Fibromyalgia back in the early 2000's. If they tested for Lyme - it would have been negative or they would have treated it then - then I can assume that in addition to Fybromyalgia, I also now have Lyme. If they didn't test it, there is actually hope that I had Lyme all along and never should have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia before the Lyme was treated.
Aside from that, I am also newly deficient in Vitamin D - in August, I wasn't. Vitamin D deficiency also causes aches so I am going to start a supplement of 50,000IU/week for 12 weeks. I have a follow-up with her in 3 months. In the meantime, I am to do the water therapy, muscle relaxers, antibiotics, and Vitamin D supplements.
She did mention that there is a potential that after the Lyme is treated, I could suffer from Post Lyme Disease Pain...I am hoping that is not the case. Time will tell at this point.
Once I hear back from Hopkins, I will know more about the situation at hand. I spent today getting my schedule solidified. Rhys will be starting a soccer camp in March and Cole is starting Gymnastics next week. Cole turns 5 in a couple of weeks so I also scheduled his yearly check-up and scheduled dentist appointments for both of them. Additionally, I finally got my own aquatic therapy on the calendar and go for my first appointment - on dry land - to assess my needs on Thursday of this week.
I like having things to look forward, I don't particularly like being so busy but this time will offer so many good activities for the boys and I will be starting back to school in 2 weeks!
Who has time to be sick?! By the way, I have been so busy all day, I have yet to "Google" Lyme Disease.
Aside from that, I am also newly deficient in Vitamin D - in August, I wasn't. Vitamin D deficiency also causes aches so I am going to start a supplement of 50,000IU/week for 12 weeks. I have a follow-up with her in 3 months. In the meantime, I am to do the water therapy, muscle relaxers, antibiotics, and Vitamin D supplements.
She did mention that there is a potential that after the Lyme is treated, I could suffer from Post Lyme Disease Pain...I am hoping that is not the case. Time will tell at this point.
Once I hear back from Hopkins, I will know more about the situation at hand. I spent today getting my schedule solidified. Rhys will be starting a soccer camp in March and Cole is starting Gymnastics next week. Cole turns 5 in a couple of weeks so I also scheduled his yearly check-up and scheduled dentist appointments for both of them. Additionally, I finally got my own aquatic therapy on the calendar and go for my first appointment - on dry land - to assess my needs on Thursday of this week.
I like having things to look forward, I don't particularly like being so busy but this time will offer so many good activities for the boys and I will be starting back to school in 2 weeks!
Who has time to be sick?! By the way, I have been so busy all day, I have yet to "Google" Lyme Disease.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thoughts
I am going to journal more because that always helps me to keep focused. As usual, I need to refocus everything in my life. I am working way more than I am used to and am glad for it. I need to set this computer down and stop being content when my children are wiling the day away downstairs with the dreaded television or computer on. I need to be more strict with myself and my children on how we spend our spare time. Books and puzzles, board games, and crafts will make a resurgence in this house which means that I will be having less screen time - which is fine by me. I also need to drink more water, eat more veggies, and consume less carbs.
I am going to start working on the boys' scrapbooks for their first year. I am going to pull out all of my supplies and make a box of stuff for Cole's and have it ready to pull out on any given evening.
I have enrolled Rhys in a soccer class and will be enrolling Cole in a gymnastics class. I also am enrolled in class starting in February in the evenings on Wednesday. That probably means that I won't be scrapbooking in evenings because I will be studying - blek.
I need to end this post now so I can get up, get dressed, and get the kids focused on something other than what they are doing right now. Here's to making something together today and stitching a memory together to go with it.
I am going to start working on the boys' scrapbooks for their first year. I am going to pull out all of my supplies and make a box of stuff for Cole's and have it ready to pull out on any given evening.
I have enrolled Rhys in a soccer class and will be enrolling Cole in a gymnastics class. I also am enrolled in class starting in February in the evenings on Wednesday. That probably means that I won't be scrapbooking in evenings because I will be studying - blek.
I need to end this post now so I can get up, get dressed, and get the kids focused on something other than what they are doing right now. Here's to making something together today and stitching a memory together to go with it.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Roller coaster
I was having a great day and really enjoying the fact that I got so much work done and the chili dinner was smelling delicious. I wasn't even angry when I saw a giant amoeba-shaped Kool-Aid stain on the carpet on my way from the living room to the kitchen. I sprayed some stain remover on and figured I would get it out after dinner.
After dinner, I found that none of my stain-remover tips were working (low roller coaster). I consulted Google and found a trick:
6 Cups Hot Water
4 Drops Dawn Dish Detergent
Warm Iron
White towels
Mix the detergent in the water. Wet a towel and dribble some of the detergent water mixture on the stain. Place a towel onto the stain and then put the iron on top. Let it sit for a minute or so and the stain lifts into the towel. This really works. Repeat as necessary.
Almost all of the stain came out - the rest will come out over time with the steam cleaner. (high roller coaster - I can see the whole park from here!)
As I picked up my stuff to put it all away, I lifted my foot and saw that I added a new stain of red play-doh, which had hitched a ride on the sole of my new slipper. Normally, I would have let it get crusty and just chip away at it but it had gotten wet from my other stain-removing-with-steam efforts and now was a bright pink spot the size of a silver dollar (low roller coaster - will this ride ever end?).
I refocused my stain-removing efforts to this stain and was not as successful.
MEANWHILE- Chris put the kids in the tub. About 1/2 way through the tub filling, I hear water dripping in the downstairs bathroom. I ran in and yelled up for the water to be turned off. Once it was off, it stopped dripping - so the tub itself wasn't leaking...must be the faucet. (even lower roller coaster - seriously, let me off now!)
MEANWHILE- Chris was doing a minor repair with wood glue and when he heard me yelling, he dropped the glue dispenser on the carpet in my son's room. (roller coaster lower still - I swear, I will jump if I must.). Fortunately, he grabbed a towel from the bathroom and got all of the glue up (slight incline in coaster ride - click, click, click, click...)
We did some troubleshooting and I finally realized that the faucet cover that we have in the boys tub to prevent them from hurting their heads had been turned around - by the boys, by the way - and was causing the water to flow back and come out of the seal. Phew, at least we don't have to call a plumber and have them rip out the floor. (a further incline in the coaster - we are getting even higher now!).
I piled on to the even-tempered discussion that Chris lead with the children and enjoyed the remainder of the ride knowing that it would soon end and I could disengage the locking bar and get off for sure.
I abandoned the stain cleaning in hopes that the play-doh stain along with the faint Kool-aid will disappear over time. I can't deal with anything else this evening.
After dinner, I found that none of my stain-remover tips were working (low roller coaster). I consulted Google and found a trick:
6 Cups Hot Water
4 Drops Dawn Dish Detergent
Warm Iron
White towels
Mix the detergent in the water. Wet a towel and dribble some of the detergent water mixture on the stain. Place a towel onto the stain and then put the iron on top. Let it sit for a minute or so and the stain lifts into the towel. This really works. Repeat as necessary.
Almost all of the stain came out - the rest will come out over time with the steam cleaner. (high roller coaster - I can see the whole park from here!)
As I picked up my stuff to put it all away, I lifted my foot and saw that I added a new stain of red play-doh, which had hitched a ride on the sole of my new slipper. Normally, I would have let it get crusty and just chip away at it but it had gotten wet from my other stain-removing-with-steam efforts and now was a bright pink spot the size of a silver dollar (low roller coaster - will this ride ever end?).
I refocused my stain-removing efforts to this stain and was not as successful.
MEANWHILE- Chris put the kids in the tub. About 1/2 way through the tub filling, I hear water dripping in the downstairs bathroom. I ran in and yelled up for the water to be turned off. Once it was off, it stopped dripping - so the tub itself wasn't leaking...must be the faucet. (even lower roller coaster - seriously, let me off now!)
MEANWHILE- Chris was doing a minor repair with wood glue and when he heard me yelling, he dropped the glue dispenser on the carpet in my son's room. (roller coaster lower still - I swear, I will jump if I must.). Fortunately, he grabbed a towel from the bathroom and got all of the glue up (slight incline in coaster ride - click, click, click, click...)
We did some troubleshooting and I finally realized that the faucet cover that we have in the boys tub to prevent them from hurting their heads had been turned around - by the boys, by the way - and was causing the water to flow back and come out of the seal. Phew, at least we don't have to call a plumber and have them rip out the floor. (a further incline in the coaster - we are getting even higher now!).
I piled on to the even-tempered discussion that Chris lead with the children and enjoyed the remainder of the ride knowing that it would soon end and I could disengage the locking bar and get off for sure.
I abandoned the stain cleaning in hopes that the play-doh stain along with the faint Kool-aid will disappear over time. I can't deal with anything else this evening.
How things are now
It has been a while since I last posted to this blog and I guess it is because I have been busy living and working and doing my thing.
I want to post and document about my health and struggle with fibromyalgia but feel like I have talked about it until I can't talk about it any more. The bottom line is that I am in pain. I am in a lot of pain and I can't get away from myself enough to know what it is like to think about anything clearly.
Imagine having to function well throughout every minute of the day - grocery shopping, working on a spreadsheet, representing your company, disciplining your children, playing with your children, preparing a meal, etc. with someone constantly punching you in the back. Imagine how poorly you can concentrate and your lack of patience. That is where I am. Yesterday I cried. I cried a lot and wallowed it in. I am still wallowing in it a bit but know that I have given myself that time and now need to snap out of it. Accept that this is my lot in life, cope with it as much as I can, and move on. No one can do anything to help. The doctors can only give me more coping strategies. There is no cure, there is no magic pill. It all just seems so bleek.
My current strategy is whole foods, exercise, water, epson salt baths, heat pads, cold compresses, muscle relaxers, and ibuprophen.
Here's hoping.
I want to post and document about my health and struggle with fibromyalgia but feel like I have talked about it until I can't talk about it any more. The bottom line is that I am in pain. I am in a lot of pain and I can't get away from myself enough to know what it is like to think about anything clearly.
Imagine having to function well throughout every minute of the day - grocery shopping, working on a spreadsheet, representing your company, disciplining your children, playing with your children, preparing a meal, etc. with someone constantly punching you in the back. Imagine how poorly you can concentrate and your lack of patience. That is where I am. Yesterday I cried. I cried a lot and wallowed it in. I am still wallowing in it a bit but know that I have given myself that time and now need to snap out of it. Accept that this is my lot in life, cope with it as much as I can, and move on. No one can do anything to help. The doctors can only give me more coping strategies. There is no cure, there is no magic pill. It all just seems so bleek.
My current strategy is whole foods, exercise, water, epson salt baths, heat pads, cold compresses, muscle relaxers, and ibuprophen.
Here's hoping.
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